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THE anti-Islam Dutch politician Geert Wilders has released on
the internet his highly charged and much-anticipated anti-Koran
film, which matches graphic images of terrorist attacks and death
threats against Jews by Muslim extremists with verses of the Muslim
holy book.

The film - Fitna, Arabic for civil strife - features news
images of beheadings, violence against women in the Islamic World,
anti-Semitic tirades by imams and the aftermath of terrorist
attacks in New York and Madrid, including the charred remains of
some victims.

Those film clips of violence are alternated with images of
verses of the Koran, which Mr Wilders claims inspires such
acts.

The film is already causing a stir on YouTube, the globally
popular video-sharing site. Portions of the film ranging from two
to 10 minutes quickly logged thousands of views at YouTube and
inspired critics to post lambasting commentary or post their own
videos critical of Mr Wilders.

"Don't blame the [Koran], but blame the people who do these
things," a Netherlands YouTube user going by the screen name mV33rs
wrote. Some postings slammed Mr Wilders as racist or crazy. Others
were supportive. "Every word we heard in this film, aside from the
Koran, were by leaders of the Islamic world," US YouTube user
Claranicole wrote. "These are facts."

Snippets of the film were first posted on the British website
www.liveleak.com but quickly spread to the American YouTube.

Mr Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament and the leader of
an anti-Islam political party, said his intention was to warn the
West about a religion he viewed as dangerous and intolerant and to
stop what he called the Islamisation of the Netherlands and other
Western societies.

Jan Peter Balkenende, the prime minister of the Netherlands,
denounced Mr Wilders's film at a news conference in The Hague. "The
film equates Islam with violence: we reject that interpretation,"
he said. "We believe it serves no purpose other than to
offend."

In an effort to avoid a repeat of the violence that broke out
after Danish newspapers published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad,
the Dutch Government has carried out a public relations campaign
around the Wilders film, distancing itself from him while reminding
people that he lives in a country that guarantees freedom of
speech.

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1206207408587-smh.com.auhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/world/controversy-as-antiislam-film-spreads-across-internet/2008/03/28/1206207408587.htmlsmh.com.auAgencies2008-03-29Controversy as anti-Islam film spreads across internetGregory Crouch in Nijmegen, NetherlandsWorldhttp://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/03/28/geertwilders_narrowweb__300x406,0.jpg